Wednesday Sneak Peek!

Father handed me an
iced drink the minute I walked into the bar. It was the same Rose Collins I’d
had the night before, and I drained it in three gulps. Turning to the Pakistani
bartender, I asked for a refill. When he returned with a fresh drink, I thanked
him and requested he write the ingredients on a paper napkin in case I ever got
a craving for the stuff back home. Pulling a stubby pencil from underneath the
bar, he scribbled down the recipe and listened intently as I read it aloud to
make sure I could read his writing.

“Three tablespoons of
vodka, lemon and lime juice.” I paused. “Do you mean lemon or lime?”

“No, sahib. You must
use both.”

“Okay.” Continuing, I
recited, “Two tablespoons of rose syrup, one teaspoon of Campari, a lemon
wheel, and a sprinkling of coarse sugar. Is that it?”

“Yes, sahib.”

“Seems easy enough,” I
commented. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, sahib.”

“Come on,” Father
interjected. “Our table is ready.”

Since I had lamb for
lunch and grilled chicken at the picnic, I ordered scampi and pasta. Father
liked my choice and ordered the same with a house salad to start. While we
waited, he asked how I’d spent the day. I recounted as best I could, starting
with the foray into the Empress Bazaar.

“What’s the prince
like?” he asked. “Is he as arrogant as the rest of the Pahlavis?”

“That’s silly, Father.
He’ll be on the turf, and I’ll be in the stands cheering him on.”

“But there’s usually
some sort of gathering afterward.”

“I’m new in town, so
there’s no reason why anyone would consider it odd. I don’t have the word queer
tattooed on my forehead, do I?”

Father snorted. “No,
you look quite normal.”

“Thanks for the
endorsement,” I quipped. “We don’t all run around in drag, you know. Some of us
actually pass for real men.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Then it’s about time
you educate yourself,” I said forcefully. “Now that your son fits in that
demographic, you’ll be meeting more and more of my friends. I would hate it if
you said the wrong thing because you didn’t bother to get the right
information.”

“You’re preaching to
the choir, son. Diplomacy is my job.”

“And you’re very good
at it, but you’ll stumble like anyone else if you don’t have the right tools.”

“Point taken,” Father
said, nodding. “Is your prince gay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t you people have
some sixth sense about these things?”

“Usually, but Kamran is
very religious, and I doubt he can reconcile one with the other.”

I've been writing M/M romances since 2007 after joining the Queer as Folk fandom on LiveJournal. The show intrigued me and soon I was writing my own stories, giving the beloved QAF characters alternative settings and the happy endings they deserved.
My first original novel Horizons was published in April 2009. Feel free to browse my blog and leave a comment. Clicking on the book covers will take you directly to the Dreamspinner Press store or you can click on the buy links on the side bar below my profile. Thanks for stopping by!